Family Weekend Ideas Please

My family and I are going on the Disney cruise to Alaska this summer, leaving from Vancouver so we thought we'd spend a few days ahead of the cruise to see the city! We'll have half a day Friday, and all weekend to see the sights so I'm trying to figure out what would be most interesting for a family that includes a dad, mom, a 10 year old son and a 2 year old daughter. My biggest concerns are finding activities that will keep the kids engaged and finding compelling sights for the parents that are at least somewhat tolerant of children. Any ideas that are good for this kind of an age range? Thanks!

An afternoon in Stanley Park There is a good aquarium, wagon tours, rent a bike or walk the 6 mile seawall, artists and gardens.

Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver 20 minutes from downtown where the ships dock, a look into the rain forest just up the road a mile or two is Grouse Mountain Cable Car you can ride up and down or if you are very fit you can walk up the Grouse Grind allow 60 minutes to 90 minutes to hike up the mountain a real thrill when you get to the top then take the gondola down ( this is for real difficult the two year old will need to be assisted, but thousands will do it on a weekend sneakers will do but it is rustic in the forest). There are restaurants and a large fenced off area with grizzly bears and a large windmill you can go up in.

Granville Island is a large farmers market area kinda neat, entertainment, lots of pleasure craft to watch

I highly recommend the Vancouver Aquarium. I'll warn you up front, it's not cheap, but it's a great way to spend a day. The kids would love it. It's located in Stanley Park which has walking trails, nice beaches and a couple of water parks.

Science World might be another place to check out. It's geared towards school children and it's in a beautiful location for taking a walk along the waterfront.

If you want to get into the mountains, I suggest Capilano Suspension Bridge. It's accessible by public transit, the trails are well marked and maintained. There's also food and bathroom facilities.

Children will easily spend a whole day at Science World. It is fun for adults too with puzzle tables and interesting building play (when offered).

The Aquarium is located right in Stanley Park (which is huge). Your children will probably spend about 1/2 day at the Aquarium (maybe longer) but there is a playground right outside and the famous Stanley Park seawall (you may only want to walk parts of it). Alternatively, there are three beaches in Stanley Park if you want to spend the day in the Park instead. It is quite a nice area where some artists display and sell their works.

There is a Kids Market in Granville Island with indoor and outdoor playgrounds. If you decide to venture out a little more and walk from the Kids Market to False Creek Elementary School playground, you get a beautiful scenery/view of the water and the playground is actually quite enjoyable. The outdoor playground at the Kids Market, however, is also a spray park. But my family seems to prefer the relatively calm and scenic playground close to False Creek Elementary.

Oh .. there's also a ferry you can take that venture between Science World and Granville Island or Yaletown (David Lam park) and Granville Island. The playground at David Lam Park also has a fantastic water view.

Vancouver Aquarium with kids is almost a must. It is in the heart of Stanley Park which by itself is beautiful! Tons of green space to let kids be kids, and run around!Vancouver beaches are fun too, TELUS World of Science is also a good place -- vancouver has a ton of great parks that kids can just run around and play. while you also enjoy the views.Transit is very good to get around, almost everywhere has a bus or rapid transit.

Loved Vancouver! I might also add the Hop on Hop off Bus was very helpful in seeing the city fairly quickly and also to figure out your possible itinerary for the day. If you want to plan before your trip, check out their web site.